Devices have been available for some time that either detect light or output light. Some devices do both. In order to provide an indication of detected light or to output the light, a transducer may be used that either responds to the detection of light by outputting an electrical signal, or in response to an applied voltage or current emits light. The transducers that detect light or output light commonly require additional external optics to either vary the field of view or focus the output light.
In recent years, lighting devices that take advantage of total internal reflection (TIR) lenses have been used to provide light having predetermined characteristics, such as predetermined beam shape and beam direction. For example, a TIR lens may collimate light from a source within the lighting device. Alternatively, TIR lenses having preset fields of view that are used for various light detection purposes, such as detecting light directly in front of the detector so to obtain a better indication of the presence of light in the vicinity of the detector.
The TIR lens, however, has a fixed optic. Typically, a lighting device using a TIR lens has to use external variable optics to selectively block and redirect the light output from the TIR lens, if a user desired any variation of the beam shape or the beam direction of the output light. Similarly, a detection device using a TIR lens also has to use external variable optics to selectively direct light toward the light detecting transducer.
A variety of variable optics are known among these, electro-fluidic or electrowetting type optics are increasing in popularity for a variety of applications. An electrowetting lens enables variation in the beam shape and/or beam direction of light passing through the electrowetting lens. However, the integration of the electrowetting lens with a lighting device lens has limitations with respect to the extent that beam shaping and beam steering that can be performed on the light output from a lens or the like of the lighting device lens.
Hence a need exists for improvement in extending the degree of beam shaping and beam steering that can be provided with a TIR lens equipped lighting device.